Black Diamond Spot – Field Report

Personal biographical information:

• Name:  Josh Cormier
• Age: 25
• Gender: Male
• Height: 5’ 11” (1.80 m)
• Weight: 175 lb (79 kg)
• Email address:  swifteagle1 at hotmail dot com
• City: Los Gatos, California
• Date: 30-Dec-05

Backpacking background:

I joined the Boy Scouts when I was 11 and have been camping and backpacking ever since. I like to do challenging trips ranging from weekend to week-long in the mountains. I would classify my gear as mid-weight although now I am trying to move more toward lightweight. I now go backpacking at least once a year in the Sierra Nevada Mountains as well as monthly car camping trips with the Scouts.

Field information:

I camp with the Boy Scouts up to 11 times a year in differing locations. Each of these campouts consists of two nights of camping in various places. We camp rain or shine, so this should give me a good all around testing of the Black Diamond Spot. The great testing weather we normally encounter is moist air, fog, cold nights, and occasionally rain. The places we usually camp include redwood forests, grassy meadows, and ocean front campsites. The usual temperatures found here can range from 35 – 90 deg F (1.67 - 32.22 C).

The other area I camp is in the much-loved Sierra Nevada Mountains, elevation 3,000 – 10,000 ft (914 – 3,048 m). The climate here varies from hour to hour, expect fog, rain, hail, snow, wind, and warm sunny days. The terrain is mountainous with many trees and lots of granite.

The temperatures found here can range from 20 deg (-6.66 C) in the winter to 95 deg F (35.0 C) in the summer.

My main method of hiking is mid weight leaning toward the light side. I like to use tents and all the necessary gear, but I get the lightest stuff I can. Having a flashlight that is lightweight, durable, and dependable is very important to me. I usually carry one headlamp and one small LED backup. Recently I have discovered the joy of night hiking, this is where a good headlamp with a strong beam is a must. Another important feature I consider important in a flashlight is the ability to use it to read. I like to read in my tent at night and have used some flashlights that are so bright I can hardly see the words on the page.

Product Information:

- Item Description: Black Diamond Spot Headlamp 

- Listed Weight without batteries: 1.8 oz (50 g)

- Listed Weight with batteries: 3.0 oz (85 g)

- Measured Weight with batteries:  3.09 oz (87.5 g)

- Color: Titanium

- Illumination Distance: 40 m (HyperBright 1-watt LED) 15 m (LED)
- Burn Time: 120 H (HyperBright on low setting) 150 H (LED on low setting)
- IPX Waterproof Standard: 4
- Bulb Type: 1 HyperBright 1-watt LED 3 SuperBright LED’s
- Battery Power: 3 AAA included
- Constant Illumination?: No
- Electronics for Brightness Settings? Yes

- Manufacture’s web site: http://www.bdel.com

- Year of Manufacture: 2005

- MSRP: $42.95

- Item Received: 31-Oct-05

- Initial Condition: The product arrived in new condition

- Item Completeness: The item was well packaged and included all required pieces and 3 AAA batteries

Field testing:

I have used this headlamp as my main flashlight everywhere I go. The first time I tested it was in driving rain on the top of my rain hat. Black Diamond states that this light is water resistant and can take a spray from any direction without damage. I was out in the rain with this lamp for at least and hour in the driving rain with temperatures around 50 deg F (10 C). While I was out there I used the light to illuminate drainage pipes that I had to shovel mud out of. The light has to be bright enough for me to be able to see where to dig and to see what is stopping of the drainage pipe. The light also has to stay in place as I swing my shovel around with each load of muck and fling it into the pile. I found that the light was bright enough to see what I was doing when turned on the highest setting of the 1 Watt hyper bright LED. On the lower settings it was more a strain on my eyes to see the area I was working on. Turning on the three LED’s I could just barely see the drainage pipe and area. I believe the three LED’s are more useful for illuminating a tent or doing close up work. I also found that the light was able to stay in place horizontally as well as vertically through all my swinging. This may have had something to do with my hat brim helping to support the lamp. I will need to watch for movement when I’m not wearing this lamp on top of my hat.

Once I got out of the rain I opened up the battery compartment on the lamp to check for water. I noticed the lack of any kind of seal on the inside of the battery compartment to keep water out. I would have felt must better if there was an o-ring or some type of gasket there to help keep water out. Even without a seal of any kind I did not find any water in the battery compartment. There was however water sitting on the outside of the battery compartment where the two pieces come together. Black Diamond says in the instruction manual that if water gets into the battery compartment, open the battery compartment, remove the batteries, and dry out the compartment. It seems like Black Diamond is not worried about having water in the battery compartment. Testing this lamp outside in the rain was a great way to test many of the lamp’s functions including its water resistant ability as well as its usefulness as a bright working light.

I have also tested this light while working in the dark under the hood of my car. For this test I used the three LED’s the second dimmest mode. In this mode I was able to see what I was working on clearly up to 3 ft (.91 m) away. During the time I was working on the car, I adjusted the headlamp to the position I wanted it in and it stayed there no repositioning needed. Later I took a walk on a dirt road over rolling hills using the 1 watt Hyper Bright LED. I found that it was bright enough to be able to walk comfortably without worrying what was on the ground in front of me. LED lamps have a reputation of throwing such a diffused light at the ground that there are little to no shadows. This gives almost no depth perception when walking at night. I found that the 1 watt Hyper Bright LED pretty much eliminated of this problem. For this test I adjusted the headband tight enough to keep the lamp on my head, but toward the end I was starting to get a slight headache. I will loosen the strap the next time I test it to see if I can keep it on and not get a headache. When I took the headlamp off I had the now familiar Black Diamond logo inverted on my forehead, I really wish Black Diamond would take care of this.

During these tests I found the switch to perform reliably, turning off, on, and adjusting the modes. I haven’t kept a log of the hours I’ve had this lamp on but I’m still using the same batteries that it came with it. After several hours of use it seems to still be going strong. Watch in my next report for when the batteries do go out. The headband has kept its elasticity and all the connectors that hold the headlamp to the headband are still holding strong. So far I am still impressed with this headlamp’s bright light and small packaging. 

My test plan:

I plan on testing the gear based on several different objectives. First and most importantly is dependability, does the gear work when it counts. Secondly is efficiency, does the gear do its job well. Lastly would be ease of use, is the gear easy to put together and easy to use.

Many times a hiker has a small flashlight for close range use, but must bring a larger light if they want any range. Bringing two lights on any trip is a waste of space and weight.  This head lamp boasts of its hyper bright LED technology. If it works as well as they describe, it could be the “All in one flashlight”, accordingly I will be testing for its effectiveness as a bright flashlight.

Dependability:

Does the headlamp headband stay tight?

Does the headlamp headband stay in place?

Does the switch work consistently?

Does the hinge keep the light held in the current position even when walking?

Do the LED’s keep working after some rough use or accidental dropping?

Does the lamp stay firmly connected to the headband?

Is the headlamp waterproof or water resistant?

Are there any connectors or closures that are liable to break?

Does the headband maintain its elasticity after constant use?

Efficiency:

Does the headlamp really illuminate to 131ft (40 m), using the HyperBright LED?

Is the illumination to weight ratio efficient?

Do the batteries last a long time and how long?

Is the light good enough for reading?

Is the light good enough for walking around in the dark?

Ease of Use:

Does the headband have to be so tight that it gives me a headache?

Is the headlamp heavy on my head?

Is the headlamp comfortable?

HyperBright Brightness:

Can I use it to look for varmints in trees?

Does it provide enough light and distance for night hiking comfortably?

I’d like to thanks BGT and Black Diamond for the privilege of being chosen to test this piece of equipment.